Lord Sri Brahma is the first member of the Brahmanical, Sri Vishnu being the second and Sri Rudra or Siva the third. Sri Brahma is the God of Creation. He is traditionally accepted as the Creator of the entire universe and all living creations, all the energy’s of dual world’s. Everything that exists is through him. All secrets of preserving Sri Vishnu’s work and the destruction work of Sri Rudra are given to them from the Creator Sri Brahma.
An individual’s subtle body is constituted of his mind and intellect, that is, his entire thoughts. Man’s subtle body is responsible for the creation of his gross body and also the world that he experiences. The thoughts of an individual determine the type of physical body he possesses. The same thoughts are also responsible for the type of world that the individual experiences around him. As the thoughts, so the world. If a man possesses good thoughts he sees a good world. If his thoughts are bad he sees a bad world.
When thoughts are absent there is no world at all. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, no world. This phenomenon is true not only of the microcosm but of the macrocosm as well. The cosmic subtle body is the aggregate of all subtle bodies of all living beings. The cosmic subtle body called the Hiranyagarbha, is said to be the creator of the entire universe. This creator is Sri Brahma.
One of the earliest iconographic descriptions of Sri Brahma is that of the four-faced god seated on a lotus. The Lord has in his four hands a water-pot (kamandalu), a manuscript (Vedas), a sacrificial implement (sruva) and a rosary (mala). He wears the hide of a black antelope and his vehicle is a swan (hamsa).
The description of Sri Brahma like those of other deities of Hinduism bears a mystic symbolism. The lotus represents the Reality. Sri Brahma sitting on the lotus indicates that he is ever-rooted in the infinite Reality. Reality is the foundation on which his personality rests. The four faces of Brahma represent the four Vedas. They also symbolise the functioning of the inner personality (antahkarana) which consists of thoughts. They are the mind (manas), the intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara) and conditioned-consciousness (chitta). They represent the four ways in which thoughts function. They are the manifestation of the unmanifest consciousness.
The animal hide worn by Sri Brahma stands for austerity. A seeker who desires to realise his godhead must first go through spiritual disciplines. Observing such austerities the seeker must carefully study and reflect upon the scriptural truths which are suggested by the manuscript (Vedas) held in one hand. Having acquired the knowledge of scriptures he must work in the world without ego and egocentric desires, that is to engage in dedicated and sacrificial service for the welfare of the world. This idea is suggested by the sacrificial implement held in the second hand.
When a man works in the world selflessly he drops his desires. He is no longer extroverted, materialistic, sensual. His mind is withdrawn from its preoccupation with the world of objects and beings. Such a mind is said to be in uparati. A man who has reached the state of uparati is in a spirit of renunciation. That is indicated by Sri Brahma holding the kamandalu in his hand.
Kamandalu is a water-pot used by a sanyasi – a man of renunciation. It is a symbol of sanyasa or renunciation. The mind of such a man which is withdrawn from the heat of passion of the world is available for deeper concentration and meditation. The rosary (mala) in the fourth hand is meant to be used for chanting and meditation.
Meditation is the final gateway to Realisation. Through deep and consistent meditation the mind gets annihilated and the seeker attains godhood. A god-man maintains his identity with his supreme Self while he is engaged in the world of perceptions, emotions and thoughts. He retains the concept of unity in diversity. He separates the pure unconditioned consciousness underlying this conditioned world of names and forms. Sri Brahma’s association with a swan is most appropriate in this context.
A swan is described in Hindu mysticism as possessing the unique faculty of separating pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. It is reputed to have the ability to draw the milk alone and leave the water behind. Similarly does a man of Realisation move about in the world recognising the one divinity in the pluralistic phenomena of the world.
Sri Brahma the Lord of creation. The creator must necessarily possess the knowledge to create. Without knowledge no creation is possible. Hence in mythology Sri Brahma is said to be wedded to the Goddess of knowledge, Sri Saraswati and Sri Gayatri Devi.
Life in this world is a manifestation of the three principles of creation, sustenance and destruction. In fact these three are interconnected. The apparent destruction is only an essential forerunner to creation.
Destruction and creation go hand in hand. They are like two sides of a coin. For example, the destruction of morning is creation of noon and the destruction of noon is creation of night. This chain of continuous destruction and construction maintains the day. Similarly, the destruction of childhood is the creation of youth and the destruction of youth the creation of old age. In this process of birth and death the individual is maintained. Hence the three gods of the Trinity viz. Sri Brahma, Sri Vishnu and Sri Rudra representing creation, maintenance and destruction, are essentially one and the same.
All creations arise out of vikshepa (thought disturbances). This vikshepa-shakti is Lord Sri Brahma – the total mind-intellect equipment. Man, being essentially constituted of his mind and intellect, has already invoked this vikshepa-shakti and realised Sri Brahma.
There are very few shrines dedicated to Lord Sri Brahma. He is worshiped and invoked particularly by those who have the secret knowledge of seeking the secrets and benefits of the Divine.
Scientists, Kings and very few yogis seek the truth and secrets through Lord Sri Brahma. The ruler invokes the Lord in order to surrender their ego and produce plans and schemes to serve the nation. Similarly, the research scholars invoke creative inspiration and flashes of new thoughts through cosmic waves, revealing the secrets of nature, universe and the divine.
The attempt of all spiritual seekers is to destroy existing thoughts and maintain the state of single pointed thought until the Ultimate Reality is revealed through worshipping of Lord Sri Brahma.
In fact, there are very few temples of Lord Sri Brahma. One in Rajasthan, Orissa in India and Bukit Tinggi in Malaysia compared to innumerable shrines of Sri Siva and Sri Vishnu existing all over India.
Source: Brahma Rishi Hill Temple
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